itm miM
- ■13 fil
Lessing v. Denker 1938
5 PxP BPxP
White wants to keep his pawn on Q4 to guard K5 and also to support an eventual P - QB5. But he is too ambitious; he should have made a concession to safety by 10 P-Q5, N-K4; 11 P - QN3.
Thus Black forces either the isolation of the queen pawn or the premature advance P — B5.
12 BxN PxB
If 13 RxP, then Q - Q4, winning the king knight pawn and so wrecking the king-side.
14 RxP
Faced with B-Q6, White has to hurl himself on the sword after all.
15 R-R4 QxNP and Black wins
Criteria
When do pawns hang and when don't they? This question can be perplexing, depending as it often does on the survey of many tactical possibilities. In general, the same criteria can be applied to each pawn of a phalanx, separately, as are applied to an isolated or a backward pawn. The pawn is weak if it is or can be attacked, especially through the file, and if its defense will tie up several pieces. It is also weak if, when attacked by an enemy pawn, it can neither push on nor swap itself off without serious disadvantage. There is a difference, however, in favor of the phalanx over the single pawn. The phalanx is apt to offer wider choice of defensive measures, e.g., an advance to form either of two chains.
Szabo v. Bisguier 1955
no. 85. White to move
Szabo v. Bisguier 1955
Let us apply the criteria to an example, No. 85. The backward queen pawn on the open file looks shaky. But it is defended by knight and queen, and one or both rooks can be brought to the queen file. Clearly this is enough for mere defense, since Black can scarcely bring even three pieces to the attack. In fact, in two moves (B-N3, R-Ql) White could actually threaten P-Q5.
Now examine the Black pawn attacks. At the moment, neither P — K4 nor P - QB4 is playable. What pieces can Black bring up to threaten either advance? Surely White can stop P-K4 by O - O and R — Kl, then N — K5 if need be. Against such a process as P - QN3, Q - B2, P - QB4, he can post his queen on K3 and then play PxP, thus saddling Black with an isolated queen bishop pawn. Finally, in some contingencies he might even play P — B5, leaving his queen pawn permanently backward but nailing down Q6 as an outpost station for his knight.
White is so far ahead in both the defense and offense that the verdict must be that the phalanx does not hang; on the contrary, it is strong. It holds back the king pawn and queen bishop pawn, one of which Black must advance if his queen bishop is ever to get into the game.
The actual continuation was i N-K5
To hold back the queen knight pawn.
4 PxP
P-QN3 PxP
SUMMARY
Count a minus point for a phalanx that hangs according to the foregoing criteria. Remember that isolation of the phalanx from other pawns increases the danger, but connection on one side does not guarantee the safety of the pawn on the other side.
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